The song still with us today. Reflected in the sexual harassment issue facing society today.

Women have come a long way!

The other event of historical significance occurred in 1854. Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade was published. The charge having occurred at Balaklava during the Crimean War.

I first read the Charge in high school. It resonates with me to this day. “Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred / …..Their’s not to reason why / Their’s but to do and die.”

Dinner at Donna and Terri’s last night. Donna cooked special for me. My diet. Pieces of beef. Delicious.

Terri looks better each time I see her.

The Lighted Boat Parade was scheduled for tonight. Canceled. Rescheduled. The weather.

Raining like hell already. Temperature has already dropped. Sixty nine at the moment. High will be 72. Mid to high 60s during the canceled Boat Parade. Sixty two when I wake tomorrow morning.

The cause has to be the snow storm moving northeast out of Texas. Key West will not experience snow. Don’t think we ever have. However, we are being hit with the outer limits of the storm. Cold and rain.

The Lighted Boat Parade has been rescheduled for next saturday.

The cold spell will be with us till thursday.

The Sheriff’s Animal Farm’s annual Christmas event tomorrow. One to 3. Wear a sweater or jacket.

What would Christmas be without Larry Smith? Larry’s annual Holiday Jazz Concert friday at The Studios of Key West. Always an enjoyable event. I will be there.

Wife Christine will be singing as only she can.

Leave well enough alone! My words directed to the Catholic Church.

Pope Frances announced he wants to reword the Lord’s Prayer. After 2,000 years!

His concern is with “Lead us not into temptation.” Claims it sounds like God is leading us into temptation when in reality it is the devil.

Blames the problem on the translations of the Lord’s Prayer over the years.

The Lord’s Prayer is part of the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian traditions. Basically as presently worded.

There has been a movement in the Church towards the change for several years. Frances lending his support by his announcement.

The Catholic Churches of France and Spain have already adopted the change.

I remember years ago when the Catholic Church changed the Mass from Latin to English and mandated Church goers sing during services. I believe the Catholic Church lost half its followers because of the two changes.

God help Donald Trump! He needs it.

His very recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is having immediate consequences. Three days of fighting in the streets between Israelis and Palestinians. The violence is escalating by day. Yesterday, rockets from Gaza into Israel, retaliatory air strikes by Israel on the Gaza Strip.

Trump is bristling to get us into a war.

Richard Cohen in a recent article in the Washington Post made several interesting comments re Trump: He “has made us a meaner, smaller people.” “Moral principal has been replaced by political cowardice.” “This is America’s darkest hour.”

Eugene Robinson writes for the Washington Post, also. He recently wrote that the Party of Lincoln has devolved into the Party of Trump. The GOP today belongs to Trump.

The Republican Party no longer can claim the mantle of honesty and purity.

Displaced boats in the lower Keys because of Irma exceeding the number anticipated. Thought to be 1,300. Up to 1,500 already raised and cleared. More to go.

Overall in Florida, 2,069 boats have already been raised.

Irma did its job!

The State immediately began replacing trees following Irma. The trees are replanted close to each other. We have learned that planting trees close to each other helps them survive strong wind storms. The trees break the wind and protect each other.

Syracuse/Colgate at 2 this afternoon. Syracuse will win.

Irma and Me’s sales numbers good. Higher than expected at this point. I am pleased.

Irma and Me is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KoboBooks.

Thus far, Irma and Me is the only book written re a person’s experiences involving Irma.

Porn eliminated! Finally, yesterday. Godaddy did the fix. Supposedly will not happen again. My apologies those who received the porn.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts! The Greeks in this instance being Keys Energy Services. Keys wants to transfer the old power generating plant at Truman Waterfront to the City. Free of charge! Something for nothing!

Nothing is for nothing! Keys will transfer as is. Keys will bear no responsibility if environmental problems are discovered/exist within the plant.

Guaranteed, environmental problems exist! The nature of the facility makes certain hazardous substances remain. Any clean up will be expensive. Extremely expensive.

City Commissioners will be buying a pig in the poke should they take title without an environmental review of the property. And not a cheap one to save a buck. An in depth expensive one. It will prove much cheaper in the end.

I spent the last 25 years of my career as an environmental attorney. A significant portion of my work involved the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Spent most of the day researching this week’s KONK Life column. Lincoln: Nomination and Election. Except for a couple of hours in the afternoon when I snuck downtown to watch the Conch Republic Drag Race.

The curbs were crowded with spectators. Everyone whooping it up! Having fun!

Something struck k me. Something unusual. Many were using their cell phones to take pics. Most of those taking the pics were women.

Dinner last night at Geiger Key. Sat at the end of the bar watching the natives and reading the newspapers.

The Sheriff’s Animal Farm will be open to the public this afternoon from 1-3. Something to see. Adults and children are provided the opportunity to get close to the animals. A winner!

Whenever I see Truman’s name for any reason, I make mention of it and the activities surrounding it. Even where Key West is not involved.

On this day in 1945, Truman learned for the first time the details of the Manhattan Project. The development of the atomic bomb. He was told 12 days after taking office. In less than three months, he approved the dropping of atomic bombs on two Japanese cities.

Woke at 5 this morning. A good night’s rest. However I woke at 5. turned on the TV. Armed and Dangerous was playing. A 1986 movie starring John Candy.

Candy and two lovelies were attending a black tie function. A first for them. Tables full food.

Candy had to check out something. He was leaving the ladies for a few moments. He said to them…..Don’t eat too much, we’re going out for pizza later.

One of the lesser known Key West attractions is the Sheriff’s Animal Farm. A shame. The Farm should be a must on everyone’s agenda. Young and mature alike.

The animals are varied. Some I have not even heard of. Not the typical zoo nor zoo type operation. The Farm is run by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. A deputy Sheriff in charge. Help provided by inmates.

The Farm is open only two Sundays per month. Today is one of those Sundays. From 1-3. The Farm is located on Stock Island. College Road just off U.S. 1.

There is no charge for admission. Donations appreciated.

There are so many dangers confronting society and government. Some must be dealt with. I am specifically referring this morning to Oath Keepers. A group 30,000 strong. Most former military people.

They were at Ferguson. Carrying guns. Doing whatever they wanted. Police avoided dealing with them.

They are the same group that defended the farmer in the 2014 Nevada stand off involving the Bureau of Land Management.

Oath Keepers announced in the past few days that they would protect Kim Davis from the Judge and U.S. Marshals. They planned on having “boots on the ground” to prevent Davis from being arrested by U.S. Marshals. The group announced that Davis was under their protection stating the “Judge needs to be put on notice that his behavior is not going to be accepted and we’ll be there to stop it…..”

Not the way things should be done.

As a point of information, one of the most powerful persons in the United States is a federal district court judge. You don’t screw with them.

Finished research re Gertrude Bell yesterday. Bell known during her time as Queen of the Desert. She is frequently referred to today as the female Lawrence of Arabia.

I will be writing the column for KONK Life this afternoon.

Sloan here for a while in the afternoon. I have a new computer. She was helping me get everything on it.

I caught the last minute of the first half and the last three minutes of the second half of the Syracuse/Wake Forest game on TV. I was surprised it was being shown. It was on CBS.

Syracuse won 30-17. Can it be?

Living on a small island has a few negatives. One is rats. They used to be all over the place. The reason there were so many cats on the island. Almost every home had a cat.

There are few cats today. I read somewhere that iguanas have killed the cats. Apparently, rats do not scare iguanas.

One showed up dead in my home a few days ago. The smell was there. I could not find where it was coming from. The smell of a dead animal. Nor could Keith. Anna finally found the body. In a small closet under the stairs, the door off the kitchen. The rat apparently had come up from the crawl space under the house.

I am a coward at heart when it come to certain things. A rat, dead or alive, is one. It was Keith’s headache.

Keith removed the body yesterday. Washed the area down with Clorox.

The smell last night was Clorox. This morning, dead rat. The odor remains. There is a special odor item which will remove the rat smell completely. Keith’s headache. He will be at Home Depot today buying it.

There has not been a hurricane in the Keys for 10 years. Yet the biggest writer of insurance in the Keys, Citizens Property Insurance Co., wants to raise rates for wind damage. In 2013, the rates were raised 10.5 percent. In 2014, 8.1 percent.

Give us a break!

Bocce stats listed in the Sunday paper. We are alone in 2nd place with a 10-2 record. A good start! Actually, fantastic! May we continue to play well.